Lewis Hamilton wins F1 world championship in Abu Dhabi

Lewis Hamilton has taken his second F1 world championship title in the final race of 2014 in Abu Dhabi to become only the fourth Brit to win more than one title.

Lewis Hamilton may have failed to take pole position for the championship defining Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but his stunning start – the best he’s ever had – meant it mattered not one jot – he took the lead and won the title.

It was a straight fight between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton for the first half of the race, but electrical gremlins hits Rosberg’s car at the halfway stage and he started to go backwards, ending the race in 14th place but gallantly running his car to the end of the race despite an instruction from the Mercedes team to retire.

Rosberg’s woes allowed the resurgent Williams to push Hamilton, with Massa closing fast on Hamilton in the closing laps, but in the end the race win went to the new world champion with the Williams of Massa and Bottas taking a well-deserved second and third.

Daniel Ricciardo drove a typically bullish and entertaining race from the back of the grid to take fourth place, and Jenson Button proved once again how stupid McLaren would be to lose him by finishing in fifth (and stopping Force India from potentially overtaking McLaren in the constructors race, a feat that could pay his wages at McLaren next year).

Nico Hulkenberg and Sergio Perez managed a strong showing for Force India with sixth and seventh, Sebastian Vettel, in his last race for Red Bull before his Ferrari adventure, finished eighth just ahead of the man he will replace, Fernando Alonso, and Kimi Raikkonen grabbed the last points place for Ferrari.

But it was Lewis Hamilton’s day, and a richly deserved second title for the talented, if not always appealing, Hamilton.

Now we have to wait and see if Mercedes’ 2015 car is strong enough to give Hamilton a chance to match Jackie Stewart’s three world champion titles.